A watched pot never boils

I can long remember my mother and even her mother using various "old sayings" on me. Yes, using them on me like laser beams to shoot down all of my child hood wanderings.

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it"
“Six to one, half dozen to another”

…and so on.

I would always ask them "Why are you saying that?!?" They would simply respond, "It's an old saying" as if that qualified as the justification of the statement.

Well as usual I was contemplating life, and the old saying "A watched pot never boils" crept into my mind. And I really do me CREEPY crept, because when ever my mother’s (or grandmother’s) voice comes into my head it is laced with a screeching Brooklyn accent. You guys that know my mom have all heard it. Now picture her mother...10 times worse! So why this old saying now, why was it in my head?

Here is my thought: We all catch ourselves wondering from time to time about the “next step”. When will it happen? What will it be? Will I be snowboarding in Canada next weekend or sitting on the beach in Florida? This week I caught myself staring at a pot of water waiting for it to boil (not literally). I realized that nothing good comes from pot staring.

1. You get fat, because you are just looking at a pot of water and not working out.
2. You get bored, and stir crazy.
3. You forget about the importance of all else that is going on.

SO in conclusion no pot staring! Just living life, loving my friends, family and everyday as it comes. Such a simple bit of life knowledge yet I still needed the friendly reminder. I guess I appreciate my mother’s voice terrorizing me to this day.

Please share the "Old Sayings” that you heard as a child. You can even add in the anecdotal accents that made you crazy or pictorial representations like below.

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Some others have decided to share their pot watching stories with us...

dun da da dahhhhh!!!

A couple people have gotten on to me for not introducing my Dean to the blogger world, but like any parent I wanted to wait until the time was right. So here he is, my precious pup Dean.

His first day home!!

His first walk!!

Hanging in front of the house!!

First time in the snow!!!

After his first haircut!!

To-Do List

Most of us use "to-do" lists.

Some to-do lists are short term: Go to the post office, swing by HEB after the gym, feed dog...you get the picture.
Other to-do lists are life long : Spend a year learning Spanish in South America, have family, get Doctorate...

This to-do list falls in the 6 month to 1 year range...

1. Organize my ipod. When I was a freshmen in college I downloaded a lot of weird songs to my ipod (yes I stole songs). After that year I was convicted and promised to never steal music again. Now I still have all those songs on my ipod and I hate them all. Time to delete.

2. Organize sock drawer. I want to have all of the same socks so if I mismatch it doesn't matter. I will create two categories work/boot socks and athletic socks. Specialty socks like my snowboarding socks will be stored with my snowboarding gear. No problem.

3. Match all of my plastic cups and coffee mugs. I can't stand having a mishmash of plastic cups from old football games and candy filled Christmas gifts from work friends. (Sorry guys, but really what did you expect?) Note to self...send apology note-strike that- EMAIL to work friends.

4. Categorize and order all of my pictures on IPhoto. I love digital photo albums because I don't like having to store photo albums in my house.
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5. Go see my doctor about my OCD.

Poetry AND Motion

Working for a school is rarely dull.
The school year always seems to roll
The cyclical school calendar keeps me on my toes.
And this is how it goes:

• The excitement of the new school year begins the first day of school. You meet your students and have a thousand things on your mind to save you from the mundane.

• This excitement wears off about late September and just before you have the chance to get bored, football season and all its festivities kick in to play.

• When football season is winding down you take a look at the calendar and begin the wonderful countdown to thanksgiving break. Avoiding all thoughts of Halloween. (it is the death of every teacher)

• Then the stretch from thanksgiving to Christmas. No words.

• After the break you begrudgingly return to school, but are always thankful for Martin Luther King’s birthday.

• Then this weird thing happens. All of a sudden you realize all the classroom elements have come together and finally they know the procedures of the classroom. (Great it only took 5 months)

• Soon comes the realization that Spring Break is around the corner. Trip planning is on the mind!

• Then (cheesy dramatic voice) THE TAKS CRAZE. That’s it…I have taught them all they need to know. It’s review time before the big, don’t call me at home because I am dazed from watching kids take a test that could determine my employment for the next year, day.

• After TAKS comes the oh-so-grand free fall to summer and then…

• FREEDOM. And the day I get my PTO happy summer birthday cookie on a stick!

So while it may seem long
Like the never-ending song.
I will always say,
Teaching is the only way!

Lipstick Jungle

Today at Golds I saw a women working hot pink lipstick. She was pulling it off and I was amazed. I have always wanted to wear lipstick, but especially now more than ever since it is working its way back into the limelight.

So here are my problems:

1. I have dark hair with golden highlights and freckly pale skin. Will somebody please tell me what will work with that!
2. I have skinnyish lips and a small mouth. My bottom lip blends into my chin so I never know when to stop.
3. Do I use lip liner because of my lip to chin blending issues? Or is lip liner totally off limits?
2. Also when/if I do find the right color, introducing lipstick to your face takes a "breaking in" phase. I don't suggest anybody break anything in when they teach junior high kids. "Miss Edwards, what is wrong with your face?" "Miss Edwards you need to clean your mouth" (I've actually had a kid tell me that one).

Basically I need a lipstick intervention, at least I want to know that I gave it a fair chance. So I am taking any suggestions on color!

Am I?

Am I a jerk? Ever since I have started working full time (four years). I have come to expect a lot from people. I think to myself…If I let my guard down for just one minute at work, my students will be in full fledge revolt mode. As in, the second I turn my back I either have a mutiny of classroom rules, or a stack of paper work a mile high on my desk. All that to say: I, like many of my friends, work hard, so I expect others to work hard too. So this new expectation really shows is true colors when I am going to place of service. I get so frustrated when I walk to a checkout counter to pay and the workers decide to finish their conversation before they look at me to ring up my items.

Well the other day I had it. I have been trying to get a hold of this place forever to make an appointment. I finally get a hold of them and the women answering the phone sounded like she just woke up from a 10-hour nap. I then asked her when I should call so I can make appointments. She said, “We are always busy”. I asked for the manager, and she informed that she was the manager. Well my everybody should work as hard as I do chip on the shoulder attitude spoke up and said, “I though I might offer you some professional advice, if somebody is explaining that it is difficult to contact your business, you might benefit from apologizing and promising (though it might be empty) to try harder in the future” She hung up on me. Oh well, changing lives one day at a time.

I do want to say I appreciate the effort when it is made. I went snowboarding a couple of weeks ago and at the end of the day everybody was trying to catch the gondola down the mountain. The line was really long, which just meant traffic would be even worse. BUT the Breckenridge staff was there, passing out cookies to everybody waiting in line. Really they can’t help that the line is long, but the simple acknowledgement of frustration and peace offering really went a long way. Well done Breckenridge. Well done!

Speak

Long time no speak. Sorry for the hiatus. My mom always taught me “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” It’s not that I have been a bitter shrew for the past month and a half; my thoughts have been unclear and relatively negative. However, it’s a bit of a lie to actually say my thoughts have been unclear, when all along they have been clear. I truthfully have just chosen to ignore the blinding clarity. So what’s the blinding clarity? I need and quench for the word of God.

I can’t explain the immediate rush of peace and clarity that came when I spent time in the word today. When I am thirsty it affects my joy, peace, patience, and the way I love people among other things. Because of sin this world is destined for death. Just like a plant with no water. So I know, as long as I continue to drink from the water of truth I will continually produce fruit; the evidence of life. What a supernatural gift the Lord has given us to be able to produce fruit in a dying world.

"How will they know if we don't even walk, even talk, even speak?"